Seattle hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen, shown in June 2012, backed a bid to put a new Sacramento Kings arena up for a vote in an effort to prevent its approval. / Elaine Thompson, AP

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

Seattle-based hedge fund manager Chris Hansen, who tried and failed to buy the Kings and relocate them to the Emerald City earlier this year, was revealed as the private investor in an anti-arena effort in Sacramento on Friday by California's Fair Political Practices Commission. The organization sued the law firm Loeb & Loeb on Thursday in an attempt to force them to disclose whose $80,000 had been spent to gather signatures that could have derailed the city's arena effort that is required to keep the Kings.

According to Gary Winuk, chief of the enforcement division for the FPPC, Hansen donated $100,000 to gather the signatures necessary to put the arena to a vote because of the $258 million in public subsidy. If the effort was successful and the arena wasn't built by the NBA's required completion timeline (reportedly 2017), then new owner Vivek Ranadive and his group that bought the team for a league-record $535 million in mid-May would be at risk of losing the team and Seattle, conceivably, could be back in the mix.

"While I'm sure everyone can appreciate how easy it is to get caught up the heat of battle, with the benefit of hindsight, this is clearly a decision I regret," Hansen said in a news release. "I wish the city of Sacramento and Kings fans the best in their efforts and they have my commitment not to have any involvement in their arena efforts in the future."

When the announcement was formally announced, Winuk misspoke and pinned the charges on "Mark Hansen" instead of Chris.

"Pardon me, it was Chris Hansen, a Seattle - I need a re-do," he stammered.

But Chris Hansen is clearly the one who needs a do-over here, as it appears his 12th hour, end-around attempt was doomed from the start because of the lay of this land. His involvement was bound to be exposed so long as groups like the FPPC make it their business to inform the public of the motive behind the money, and he'll now play the part of villain in Sacramento like never before.

"This, to us, is a glaring example of an at best negligent, and at worst purposeful deceptive behavior that was aimed at depriving the Sacramento public with knowledge it's entitled to about who is funding campaigns," Winuk said. "Chris Hansen and Loeb & Loeb are sophisticated parties, (and) they clearly should have known that disclosure was required in this case, so while again we're dismissing our lawsuit we will be continuing to pursue additional penalties (for not disclosing Hansen's identity earlier)."

Meanwhile, all indications are that the anti-arena group - Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP) - is a long ways from posing any real threat to the efforts to replace the outdated Sleep Train Pavilion. California State Senator Darrell Steinberg, a longtime proponent of keeping the Kings in Sacramento, spoke for the locals and many more in a one-word statement issued to the media: "Unbelievable."

Here is Hansen's full news release, posted on his website, SonicsArena.com:

I made a mistake I regret.

When our binding agreement to purchase the Sacramento Kings became a competitive situation and we were faced with both the prospect of seeing our transaction fail and losing our $30 million deposit, I engaged Loeb & Loeb to canvas the various opposition groups to gain an understanding of their efforts and the prospects of their success.

During this time I was approached through Loeb by the opposition about making a contribution to the opposition's efforts as part of a broader group and agreed to make a donation.

In this regard I would just like to highlight that I have never directly engaged with or even had any conversations or contact with STOP, Taxpayers For Safer Neighborhoods, or any the various consultants engaged in the Sacramento Arena opposition. It was also not my intent to be the primary financial sponsor of the opposition's efforts. I merely agreed to make a donation to the opposition in what had become a competitive and heated process.

I have not agreed to provide any further political contributions and do not intend to make any further contributions.

I would also just point out that the contribution was made in my personal capacity and not on behalf of our ownership group or my partners. In fact, I have never discussed the contribution with them to date.

While I'm sure everyone can appreciate how easy it is to get caught up the heat of battle, with the benefit of hindsight, this is clearly a decision I regret. I wish the city of Sacramento and Kings fans the best in their efforts and they have my commitment not to have any involvement in their arena efforts in the future.